Rio de Janeiro cracks down on narco gang

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian special forces have nabbed six alleged narco gangsters in Rio de Janeiro and confiscated a stash of powerful weapons, three days after killing the city's most wanted man.

The elite BOPE police unit displayed a photo of the six men seated on the floor with their hands behind their backs, and all but one shirtless.

Their leader, Fu da Mineira, is described as a kingpin in the notoriously violent Comando Vermelho gang. A man known as Playboy, the leader of the main rival gang operating in the favela slums of Rio, was killed in a raid on Saturday.

Police in Tuesday's action displayed confiscated weapons including four assault rifles and what police said was a.50-caliber firearm.

Meanwhile, during a gunfight in another Rio favela Tuesday, a policeman was wounded by a shot in the head and a suspect died of his wounds, Globo television reported.

Authorities say they are drafting in soldiers and others to boost Rio's security forces to 85,000 during next year's Olympic Games, double the number deployed during the 2012 London games.—AFP